Railway-rail splice



UNIiwf-1111i)v STATES @PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM GoULfD; or Das Monvns, IOWA.

RAI LWAYARAI L s PLioE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,408, dated January 5, 1892. Application filed .Tune 4, 1835. Serial No. 167,667. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. GOULD, of

Des Moines, in the county of Polkand State of Iowa, have invented an Improved Railway- Rail Splice, Angle-Bar, Fish-Plate, and Shim Joint or Splice, of which the following is a specification. l

My object is to facilitate forming a railjoint or splicing a broken rail at anytime or place; to give each end of each rail the proper support at the proper place on the rail; to relieve the undue vertical strain onthe rails, chairs, angle-bars, or fish-plates at the joint caused by the Wave motion of the rails while under the immediate passage of trains or engines; to provide for and to take up the wear adapted to rest upon one or Irore caused by long usage of the rails or their connections at the point where this Wear takes place; to provide an opening in the splice or to arrange the chairs' so that while they are in position sand, gravel, or any substance liable to accumulate in them, can escape while the ends of the rails are apart, as required to prevent such foreign substances from causing damage to the joint; also, to properly take care of expansion and contraction by so arranging the rails and their fastenings at the joints that the joints will lbe each equally open in cold weather or when the rails are contracted, and also to provide for and prevent the creeping of' tracks when placed in a railway-'track and operated as such. j

My invention consists of a chair b, anglebar lc, or combination of chairs orangle-bars to form a rail-joint, and to provide for the wear of the same after it has vtaken place merely by tightening up the bolts.

Figures 1,4, and 5.are transverse sections of my improved chair and joint. Figs. 2 and 3 are side views of my complete joint.' Figs. 6,7, and S are perspective views of myi chairs and angie-bar, while Figs. 9 and l0 are views of my clamping bolt and jaw to produce parallel jaws in a rail joint or splice.

J'ointly considered these figures clearly illustrate the construction and combination of the different elements and thenovelty and utility of my complete invention.

c is the horizontal portion of my chair, parallel cross-ties.

b is the vertical portion of the chair, while c and c are swells or raised portions of my chair, angle-bar, or fish-plate, adapted to engage the under side of the ball or-T-head of the rail atthe joint near the end of the rail,

while b', thev inward projecting v'part of the vertical portion of the chair b, engages a portion of the top of the flange of the rail, as clearly shown in Figs. l, 4, and 5.V 'i

Reference being had to my accompanying drawings, in Figs. l, i:,and 5 the overlapping portions b of the chair touch the top part of the iiange of the rail only partially, while the top part of the vertical portion b touches the top of the web on the same side of the rail, so that when the bolts o are tightened only the lower parts of the chair or angle-bar are moved toward each other, as the top of the web of the rails prevents the tops of the chairs b from being drawn together. Therefore it is seen that the chairs have a slight rotary movement, and as the chairs are thus arranged it brings unworn surfaces in contact. Relative to the chairs and rails, the openings caused by wear are reduced whenever the nuts are tightened on the bolts o or clamping bolts g h fi, as clearly shown in Figs. 1,4, and 5.

I am aware that bearing-su rfaces at the top of a chair or angle-bar have been made to engage the web of a rail; but my manner of forming a bar vadapt-ed to be adj ustably combined with a rail to engage the under side of the bali of the rail, and also the top portion of the ange -of the rail for the purposes stated, is novel and advantageous in making and'main'taining a rail-joint eflicient and y safe. f

. Figs-6 and 7 in Iny accompanying 'drawings are views of myv chairs b, formed of metal by means of rollers, dies, or cast in a mold. c is the base, b is the vertical portion, and b the portion adapted tov overlap and touch the part of only a portion of one side of the iiange of a rail.

d in Figs. l, 3, 4, 5, and S is an aperture in the base d of the chair near its central part, arranged to come under the abutting ends of the rails, so that sand or dirt of any kind dropping between the ends of the rails can pass through and out of the chair.

' VIn Figsl and 5 the complete chair b is IOO made in halves, with an aperture d extending the entire length of the chair, and each side or half is adapted to be placed laterally under each side of the rails at the joint or for the purpose of splicing a broken rail,

and longitudinal movement of the rails relative to the chair can be prevented by putting bolts or stops through the corresponding holes o o in the rails and chairs, and vertical wear be taken up by operating the nuts.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the chair b is complete in one piece and engages the under side of the balls of the rail on one side. The overlapping portion b engages a portion of the liauge on the same side of the rail, while the horizontal portion a extends under the base of the rail and engages the lower part of the angle-bar 7c on the opposite side of the rail at the joint, and the complete joint is made by means of two bolts o', put through one rail, and with my clamping-boltg ht' and jaw n I then secure the other rail on the chair by means of spikes passed through the chair, clearly showing how one end of the rail is bolted to the ties, while the other end has longitudinal movement, by which means I prevent creeping of track and equalize the openings at each joint caused by heat or cold expanding or contracting the rails, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In Fig. 1 the holes o 0 in the rail and chair are larger than the bolts, made so in order that the chair can assume different angles to the web or base of the rail without cramping the bolts and also allow the rails to expand and contract during hot or cold weather. The joint in Fig. 1 is also made by bolts being put through the corresponding holes in each end of each rail and each side of the chairs at the joint. Nuts are then placed upon the screwthreaded ends of the bolts o' and then tightened up, which draws the chairs toward each other while taking up wear.

In Fig. 5 of my accompanying drawings is a sectional View of my complete chair, jaw n and clamping-bolt g h t' arranged and combined to form a splice or joint; and in Fig. 2 the joint or splice is shown resting upon three ties and formed by means of my chairs b being placed under the abutting ends of two railsand on the top surface of three ties, and also by passing the screw-threaded end of my clamping-bolt g h i across under the chairs and through the hole .fr in my jaw fn, while the neck h tits into a notch a of the chair and the head t on top of the chair. Then by drawing each half of the complete chair to gether I complete the joint or splice, and to fasten the thus-completed joint to the ties I drive spikes through perforations or notches a in the horizontal portion of the chair, as

shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3.

Iam aware that chairs have been formed in halves or in one piece and made to tit the contour of the rails closely at the joint; but with such devices it would be impossible to provide for or take up the wear that occurs in railway-chairs or splices by long use, for the reason that as the inside of the vertical portions of such splices it the web of the rails closely they could not be drawn toward g each other and in bisected chairs made to fit the rails and their bases to come together. When in proper position, they cannot be arranged to take up any wear or lost motion that takes place between the rails and chairs after they have been in use, because their under sides or horizontal portions come together. It is also impossible for any sand or other substance to get out of the chair so made that drops into it from the sand-box of an engine or dirt from the train,wl1ich would grind or wear the rail and chair if left in it; but my chair l), as shown in Figs. l, 5, and 7, does not iit the contour of the rail closely, but engages the ball and ange of the rail firmly, and has an aperture d extending the entire length of the complete chair.

Figs. 4 and 7 show the complete chair b in one piece, while in Figs. l, 3, 5, and 6 are shown modified forms of the chair t), and they can only be used by combining two of them together with the rails to form a complete rail-joint.

I am aware that chairs, angle-bars, and {ish-plates have been formed with their top surfaces and bearings parallel to those surfaces which engage the top portion of the anges of the rail at the joints, or with the upper and lower edges of their vertical portions parallel to each other, so that they engage the balls, webs, and flanges of the rails at the joints, or with the upper and lower edges of their vertical portions parallel to each other, and that they engage the rails the entire lengt-h of the chairs, bars, orplates, and as the wear in a rail-joint takes place first at the extreme end of the rail, which is at the center of the angle-bar, chair, or fishplate, and works back toward the center of the rail, and as the under side of the T- head of the rail is wedge-shaped, and the flange also, it would be impossible to take up the wear that always occurs at that particular point on the rail and splice bars by long use with such a chair or splice as above described. To overcome this I make a chair, angle-bar, or sh-plate with their top edges or top-bearing surfaces raised at their cen ters higher than at each end of the same bearing-surfaces, so that when the wear occurs it or the lost motion can be reduced by operating the nuts on the bolts o', and the chairs so made and so placed will act as an equalizer to the weight on the rails at the joint, relative to the ties and rails, for the reason that the raised bearing-surfaces c only engage the under side of the balls of the rails, and as the base a of the chair b is plain and not re-enforced, and the aperture (Z extends IDS IIO

the entire length of the chair in that form shown in Figs. 1, 5, and 6, when in position it will be seen that the base ofthe chair will yield at its ends only when the weight of passing Wheels is at Z or p on the rail over it,4 because the vertical portion of the chair does' not touch the ball of the rail at the end ofy the chair. Consequently the weight on the rails is thus thrown on the center of the chair at c', where it is re-enforced, which it is intended should be done by my rail-splices, because the center of a rail-splice is the proper place to support the end of a rail. VvTherefore the splice herein described is so formed as to allow the rail vertical and horizontal movement relative to the splice at each end of the same and yet hold the ends of the rails rigid at the center of the splice, as clearly shown by c in Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

In Fig. 8 is shown my angle-bar lo with a raised portion c on its bearing-surface, and when in position on the rail and bolted to each end of each rail the ends of the rails rest upon the raised portions only of the bars or plates, thereby allowing the wear on them to be properly taken care of, and they will also act as an equalizer to the joint relative to the ties and rails while under the Weight of passing wheels.

Figs.- 2 and 3 of my accompanying drawings show side views of my improved joint.

Fig. 2 shows a joint on three and Fig. 3 a joint on two ties made with my improved chairs and angle-bar.

As before stated, I provide for the relief of vertical strains at the joint by a peculiarlyformed chair-splice, bar, or fish-plate made in such a manner that its center is higher than its ends, so that it engages the ends of the rails at the joint, and yet allows the wave motion of the rail to continue until thewheels of moving engines or trains pass over the eX- treme end of the rail.

By referring toFigs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that when the wheels of an engine or train are one at p and the other at Z there is an upward or cantilever strain at the joint or eXtreme end of the rails, and should the chair, anglebar, or rail-spliceill the rail between its ball and flange closely the entire length of the splice or at the extreme ends ot' the same splice the vertical strain at the center of the chair, bar, or splice would be to tear its top edge open vertically. To overcome this and to relieve such strains on the rails and their splices, Ichange thepoint of leverage by raising the center of the splice higher than its ends, thereby allowing the rails at each end of the splice to have undulating, vertical, or wave movements relative to the splice as the lwheels passover the joint; and I accomplish this by makingthe chairs, bars, orsplices with their top edges higherin the center than at their ends, as before described.

g r In Figs. 1 and 5 the joint is formed by means of my bisected chair b, and it is clearly shown that I do not contemplate the halves o f the chair b fitting the rails perfectly or allowing theirhorizontal portions ct to come tov gether under the rails. 'I so construct the Chair-that the raised portion c engages the under side of the balls of the rails, while b engages the top of a part of the flanges and en the same side of the rails. cl is the aperture formed by the splces not coming together, as shown in Figs. l and 5.

Fig. 9 is a perspective View of my clamping-jaw n, adapted to extend partially under the horizontal portion ct of the chair b, adapted in form on its rear to engage the outside surface of a portion of the chair. A bolt-hole through its base adapts it to be combined with my screw-threaded clamping-bolt g 71. Vc'

by passing the screw-threaded end of the bolt g through it and then placing a nuton the screw-threaded end, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5.

h in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 is adapted to lit into the notch a' of the chair to prevent longitudinal movement of the clamping device relative to the chair, whilei, the head of the bolt, rests upon the outside edge of the chair and prevents the bolt from being pulled out of the chair when the nut is being drawn, with the jaw n on one side of the chair and the clampingbolt attached in the manner described to a chair on the opposite side of the rail, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, and the nut on the bolt g tightened, so vthat the chairs Will be drawn toward each other and the joint secured.

For the purpose of forming a rail-joint I place the chair upon one or more cross-ties and slip the horizontal portion a of each chair under the abutting ends of two rails, one-half of the chair on each side, in such a manner that the center of the raised portion c of my chair will come under the abutting bearingsurt'aces at the ends of the rails, and the top part c of my chair will engage the under side of the T-head or ball of the rail, while b will engage the top ot' the flange, and then the bolts 0 are put through the holes 0 in the chair h and nuts placed upon their screwthreaded ends, and as the nuts are drawn the halves of the chair will slip upon the Iianges of the rails and toward each other and in turn forceupward the vertical portions b of the chair or splice and cause the swell c or raised portion c to firmly engage the underside of the balls or T-heads of the rails and complete the joint or reduce vertical Wear.

Having thus described myinvention and to make it more clear, if possible, I will say thatI wish to cause the chairs or'splices, when combined with the rails and ties, to form an equali'zing-joint, so that when the wheelsare passing over the joint the -railsand ties at each end of the chairs or. angle-bars can con` forni to the Weight upon them, and when the IOO wheel of a car or engine is passing between and over the extreme end of the rail each end of the angle-bar, chair, or splice Will sustain that weight equally alike, even though one of the'ti'es be lower than the other at the joint on either end of the chairs or anglebars.f

Con ceding that it is not new to form a chair in two parts and clamping the parts to the abutting ends of two rails; that it is not new to form or to provide a perforation for the escape of sand through the chair from between the ends of the rails, and that the top edge of a plate clamped to the webs of the rails has had vertical projections that came in contact with the balls of the rails, it is nevertheless believed to be novel to form a chair in two parts that will not tit closely to the flanges and webs of the rails, but come in contact with those parts of the rails at three distinct points and engage the balls of the rails at the central portions of their top surfaces only, as shown and described, and in such a manner that the two parts of the chair can be ad j usted vertically and horizontally relative to the ends` of the rails by means of bolts for the purposeof compensating for wear and maintaining a irm joint where the track is straight or curved.

I am aware that a chair has been formed in three pieces hinged together in such a' manner that the top portions of the hinged sections could be adjusted horizontally by means of screw-bolts and their top edges drawn toward the webs of the rails to compensate for wear; but my manner of forming a chair in two pieces and drawing them together at the base to cause the elbows of the vertical portions to slide inward and upward on the unworu parts of the anges of the rails to elevate their top edges relative to the balls of the rails to compensate for wear without mov ing the top portion horizontally relative to the webs of the rails is new and advantageous in maintaining a dr-m joint.

One of the objects of theinveution,ashere inbefore described,'is to properly take care of the vertical wear which takes place under the ball of a rail and on top bearingsurfaee of a rail-splice.

What is meant in this specification by the words top bearing-surface is that surface of the angle-b`ars or rail-splices which comes in contact with the under side of the balls ofthe rails in a rail-joint. This wear makes a peculiar form, as it occurs only at one place on the top bearing-surface of the spliees, which is at the extreme ends of the rails, and as the wear continues it extends its action back ward each way'toward the ends of the anglebars or splices, so that after the angle-bars or rail'splice'have been in position some time or have been under constant use their top bearing will be worn concave at their centers and the under side of the balls of the rails will be worn also at their ends. Therefore, if the angle-bars or rail-splices t the contour of the rails closely, the entire length of the splice before it is worn it cannot be adjusted to tit the worn portion against the rails, for the reason that the unworn portions of the splices do not admit of their positions being changed relative to their vertical adjustment after such wear has taken place, because they fitclosel y when they are not worn.

I am aware that prior to myinvention railsplices have been formed with their outside portions higher than the balls of the rails and adapted to engage passing wheels of engines or cars; but such devices are inoperative, for the reason that worn wheels would knock them loose and the intermediate portions of such splices were eloselylitted to the contour of the rails the entire length of the splice. Therefore such said splices or angle-bars could not be adjusted to fit the rails after the splices were worn, and iu such devices no provision whatever is made to take care of the wear which occurs between the spliees and the rail at the particular points where such wear 0ceurs. I overcome this difficulty by making the angle-bar or rail-splice slightly higher on the center of the top bearing-surface than it is at the ends of its vertical portion, which is done by means of a swell or slight re-enforcement c', as shown in Figs. 2,5324, 7, and S, and I do not allow the angle-bar or rail-splice to tit the contour of the rail closely, thereby allowing for the vertical adjustment of the splice, andas the swell'or ire-enforcement on the central portion of the top bearing-surface is where the greater part of the wear comes it not only allows opportunity for the proper adjustment of the splice, but increases its usefulness, for the reason that it willjlast as long after Athe swell is Worn off as an ordinary angle-bar or railsplice, which is a new and advantageous result.

I am aware that rail-splices have been made thicker in the center than at their ends; but

when such devices are placed in contact with the abutting ends of rails in a track the top bearing-surface o f such devices wears the same the entire length of such top bearingsurface, and therefore is not adapted to perform the function intended by the inventorviz., presenting the most bearing surface where there is the most wear.

I am also aware that rail-splices have been made with the upper corners of their vertical sections rounded or circular in form, While the top and bottom bearing-surface of such devices were parallel the entire length of the said surface; but such devices cannot accomplish the object contemplated by my invention, for the reason that such devices tit the eontou r of the rail closely, and therefore cannot be adjusted to the rails after the vertical wear has taken place, as before described.

I claim as my inventionl. A railway-chair consisting of the horizontal portion a, the vertical portion b, the inwardly-projecting portion b', the top edge c, having a raised bearingsurface c', adapted to engage the under sides of the ball of a rail and a part of the top of the flange of a rail, and with an aperture d in the base of the chair, as and for the purposes stated.

2. A railway-chair made in duplicate parts, adapted to engage the under side of the balls of the rails on each side thereof, a portion of the top of its flanges, and the base on each IZO y side'of the rail, and consisting of the horizon- Vpurposes stated.

4. A railway-chair consisting of the horizontal portions a, the vertical portion b, the inward-projecting portion b', the top bearingsurface c', aperture cl, and top edge c, as clearly shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 7, as and for the purposes stated.

5. The combination of a vertically and horizontally adjustable chair consisting of two mating parts with two rails and one or more cross-ties to produce a continuous aperture in the base of the chair and to operate, in the vmanner set forth in compensating for wear and in maintaining firm joints with even top surfacesin straight and curved track.

6. An angle-bar, fish-plate, or chair having a top edge c, a raised top bearing-su rface c', as shown and described, to operate in the manl ner set forth.

7. The combination of a vertically and horizontally adj usted chai r having raised surfaces on its top edges, two rails, and two bolts passed through one of the rails only, as shown in Fig. 3, for the purposes stated.

8. A railway-chair, angle-bar, iish-plate, or splice-bar having a bearing-surface on its top edge that is narrower at its ends than at its central portion and also lower at its ends than its center for the purpose of supporting the abuttingends of two rails lnore rigidly at the longitudinal centers of the said bearingsurfaces than at the ends of -the saine bearing-surfaces, for the purposes stated.

9. In a rail-joint, an adjustable angle-bar Y or sh-plate so formed as to it the under side of the ball ofa rail and to come in contact with the'top of the flange of a rail and with its top bearing-surface higher at its center than at the ends of its top bearing-surface, Substantially as set forth.

l0. In a rail- 'oint, an angle-bar or rail-splice adapted in form to be vertically adjusted relative to a rail, so as to come in contact with the balls and lian ges of two abutting rails and having also a slight swell or reinforcement on and near the center of its top bearing-surface, substantially as set forth.

11. In a rail-joint, an angle-bar or rail-splice adapted in form to be adj usted vertically and to come in contact with the balls and flanges of two abutting rails, also with having its top bearing-surface Wider at its center than at its ends, substantially as set forth.

l2. In a rail-joint, a vertically and laterally adjustable and interchangeable an gle-bar or rail-splice adapted in form to be used on. eitherside of a rail and having a boss on its top edge adapted to engage the under side of the ball of the rail, substantially as set forth, for the purposes stated.

. WVILLIAM F.- GOULD.

Witnesses:

F. A. AGNEW, F. I. HERRIOTT. 

